The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Program in Lesotho is working to improve literacy education by establishing five district teacher libraries.

Teachers throughout the district have expressed a strong desire to use books in their preschools. They have requested a self-reliance workshop on literacy because the ECCD curriculum provides no guidance on how to teach this topic. These self-reliance workshops are being organized by the District Teacher Trainers and Area Resource Teachers who receive no financial remuneration but are very committed to their work. They use personal time and funds to attend meetings and organize events. The workshops are paid for by the teachers themselves, who attend regularly because they are still hungry for more training to improve their preschools. These women will sacrifice their weekends, spend their own money, bring blankets and sleep on the floor of an ECCD center in order to receive this training. They continually show a high level of support and commitment to this project. The ECCD leadership has formed a Library Committee in preparation for the arrival of the donated books. They worked with area chiefs and school committees to scout library sites in their areas, and are committed to maintaining records and managing their local library branches.

In order to successfully implement this project, the ECCD program needs assistance to build shelves, purchase labeling stickers and transport materials to library sites.

Note: This summary was provided by a Peace Corps Volunteer and the community administering this project.